Printer, printing method, and computer readable medium

Abstract

A printer includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a heat sensitive medium in a conveyance direction, a thermal head including a plurality of heat generating elements arranged in a direction crossing the conveyance direction, and configured to perform printing on the heat sensitive medium conveyed by the conveyance unit by heat generation of the plurality of heat generating elements, a controller configured to selectively cause the plurality of heat generating elements to generate heat by performing application control of energy to the heat generating element so as to print a dot on the heat sensitive medium by the heat generating elements, and a storage unit configured to store three or more heating patterns of the heat generating elements in the application control. The controller includes a first output unit and a second output unit.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A printer comprising:
 a conveyance unit configured to convey a heat sensitive medium in a conveyance direction; 
 a thermal head including a plurality of heat generating elements arranged in a direction crossing the conveyance direction, and configured to perform printing on the heat sensitive medium conveyed by the conveyance unit by heat generation of the plurality of heat generating elements; 
 a controller configured to selectively cause the plurality of heat generating elements to generate heat by performing, for each of the heat generating elements, application control of energy to the heat generating element so as to print a dot on the heat sensitive medium by the heat generating elements; and 
 a storage unit configured to store three or more heating patterns of the heat generating elements in the application control, wherein 
 the controller includes
 a first output unit configured to output, in the application control, a strobe signal in which a plurality of chopping units formed by repeating a given chopping cycle are arranged over time, the chopping cycle including a first period during which an application state in which the energy is applied to the heat generating element or a non-application state in which the energy is not applied to the heat generating element is set, and a second period during which the non-application state is set, and 
 a second output unit configured to output switching data corresponding to each of the plurality of heat generating elements for each of the chopping units in the strobe signal output by the first output unit in the application control, the switching data specifying, for each of the chopping units, whether to set the first period to the application state or the non-application state, 
 
 the heating pattern indicates, for one of the heat generating elements, a combination of the switching data which is to be output by the second output unit and respectively set the first periods to the application state or the non-application state, for each of the plurality of chopping units in the strobe signal output by the first output unit in the application control, and 
 the second output unit outputs, based on image data, the switching data corresponding to one of the three or more heating patterns stored in the storage unit for each of the plurality of heat generating elements. 
 
     
     
       2. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the heat sensitive medium includes
 a first layer configured to turn a first color when first energy is applied to the heat sensitive medium, and 
 a second layer configured to turn a second color different from the first color when second energy different from the first energy is applied to the heat sensitive medium, and 
 
 the storage unit is configured to store, as two of the three or more heating patterns,
 a first heating pattern for applying the first energy to the first layer, and 
 a second heating pattern for applying the second energy to the second layer. 
 
 
     
     
       3. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the storage unit configured to store, as two of the three or more heating patterns,
 a first heating pattern for printing the dot having a first size on the heat sensitive medium, and 
 a second heating pattern for printing the dot having a second size different from the first size on the heat sensitive medium. 
 
 
     
     
       4. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein
 in the application control, the first output unit outputs the strobe signal including a chopping cluster in which the plurality of chopping units are arranged over time in a descending order of ratios of lengths of the first periods to lengths of the chopping cycles. 
 
     
     
       5. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein
 in the application control, the first output unit outputs the strobe signal including a chopping cluster in which the plurality of chopping units are arranged over time in an ascending order of lengths of the chopping units. 
 
     
     
       6. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the plurality of heat generating elements are arranged in an orthogonal direction to the conveyance direction. 
 
     
     
       7. A printing method performed by a printer including a conveyance unit configured to convey a heat sensitive medium in a conveyance direction, a thermal head including a plurality of heat generating elements arranged in a direction crossing the conveyance direction, and configured to perform printing on the heat sensitive medium conveyed by the conveyance unit by heat generation of the plurality of heat generating elements, and a storage unit configured to store three or more heating patterns of the heat generating elements in application control of energy to the heat generating elements for printing a dot on the heat sensitive medium by the heat generating elements, the method comprising:
 selectively causing the plurality of heat generating elements to generate heat by performing the application control for each of the heat generating elements, wherein 
 the causing includes
 outputting a strobe signal in which a plurality of chopping units formed by repeating a given chopping cycle are arranged over time in the application control, the chopping cycle including a first period during which an application state in which the energy is applied to the heat generating element or a non-application state in which the energy is not applied to the heat generating element is set, and a second period during which the non-application state is set, and 
 further outputting switching data corresponding to each of the plurality of heat generating elements for each of the chopping units in the strobe signal output by the other outputting in the application control, the switching data specifying, for each of the chopping units, whether to set the first period to the application state or the non-application state, 
 
 the heating pattern indicates, for one of the heat generating elements, a combination of the switching data which is to be output by the further outputting and respectively set the first periods to the application state or the non-application state, for each of the plurality of chopping units in the strobe signal output by the other outputting in the application control, and 
 the second output process outputs, based on image data, the switching data corresponding to one of the three or more heating patterns stored in the storage unit for each of the plurality of heat generating elements. 
 
     
     
       8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer of a printer to execute a process, the printer including a conveyance unit configured to convey a heat sensitive medium in a conveyance direction, a thermal head including a plurality of heat generating elements arranged in a direction crossing the conveyance direction, and configured to perform printing on the heat sensitive medium conveyed by the conveyance unit by heat generation of the plurality of heat generating elements, and a storage unit configured to store three or more heating patterns of the heat generating elements in application control of energy to the heat generating elements for printing a dot on the heat sensitive medium by the heat generating elements, the process comprising:
 selectively causing the plurality of heat generating elements to generate heat by performing the application control for each of the heat generating elements, wherein 
 the causing includes
 outputting a strobe signal in which a plurality of chopping units formed by repeating a given chopping cycle are arranged over time in the application control, the chopping cycle including a first period during which an application state in which the energy is applied to the heat generating element or a non-application state in which the energy is not applied to the heat generating element is set, and a second period during which the non-application state is set, and 
 further outputting switching data corresponding to each of the plurality of heat generating elements for each of the chopping units in the strobe signal output by the other outputting in the application control, the switching data specifying, for each of the chopping units, whether to set the first period to the application state or the non-application state, 
 
 the heating pattern indicates, for one of the heat generating elements, a combination of the switching data which is to be output by the further outputting and respectively set the first periods to the application state or the non-application state, for each of the plurality of chopping units in the strobe signal output by the other outputting in the application control, and 
 the second output process outputs, based on image data, the switching data corresponding to one of the three or more heating patterns stored in the storage unit for each of the plurality of heat generating elements.